Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday signed a bill into law that, among other things, allows the return of happy hour alcoholic drink specials, with certain restrictions.

Happy hour drink specials had been banned under Illinois law since 1989 but can immediately begin with Rauner's signature of the measure. Advocates of the law celebrated the victory as a measure that would help level the playing field for Illinois and increase tourism to Chicago. Opponents, however, continued to express worries that the return of happy hour would mean excessive drinking and drunken driving.

The bill, SB 398, was passed in the House May 28 and the Senate May 31. Discounts now will be allowed for up to four hours a day and up to 15 hours a week, as long as they are advertised a week in advance and aren't offered after 10 p.m. Volume specials, like two drinks for the price of one, remain prohibited.

There are numerous restrictions. Among them, drinks cannot be given away as prizes. Games can't involve consuming alcohol. A bar cannot offer unlimited drinks for a fixed price, except for private functions such as parties.

"Other places have it and are successful in administering it responsibly," said Jim Ludwig, 65, who has owned Roscoe's in Chicago's Boystown for 28 years. "That's what we're going to try to do." Roscoe's is expected to reopen Saturday after an occupancy violation with the city.

Ludwig said he expected the new law to increase the bar's sales at certain times and open the door for new marketing opportunities, like drink specials packaged with the popular live performances of cast members from RuPaul's Drag Race, which tend to be "huge, crazy nights" at Roscoe's.

Happy hour comes back to Illinois effective immediately. Gov. Rauner signed the bill July 15, 2015. Happy hour was initially banned back in 1989. (WGN-TV)

Happy hour comes back to Illinois effective immediately. Gov. Rauner signed the bill July 15, 2015. Happy hour was initially banned back in 1989. (WGN-TV)

The new law also allows establishments to offer meal packages listing food and alcoholic beverage pairings together for a fixed price. And hotels can now hold a single state liquor license for multiple bars and restaurants operating under the same roof.

Violating the law could lead to a fine or a license being suspended or revoked, according to the Illinois Liquor Control Commission.

Also Wednesday, Rauner approved bans on two powdered substances. One makes it a misdemeanor to sell powdered alcohol, and another makes it a misdemeanor to sell powdered caffeine to a minor.

There has been vocal support for the happy hour legislation from groups like the Illinois Restaurant Association, which has said the law will help attract patrons to Illinois restaurants and bars.

Still, some business owners opposed it. They say the change could lead people to drink more in a shorter period and may lead to more alcohol-related crashes and fatalities.

In 2013, 317 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes, representing 32 percent of the 991 crash fatalities in Illinois, and 34,611 DUI arrests were recorded, according to the secretary of state's office. In 1988, the year before the happy hour ban went into effect, 912, or 49.6 percent, of the 1,837 fatal crashes in Illinois were alcohol-related.

The law includes a requirement that all servers of alcohol in the state take responsible server training. That training began in Cook County July 1 and will be phased in throughout the state over the next two years.

Bill Jacobs, the owner of Piece Brewery and Pizzeria in Wicker Park, expressed his continued disappointment Wednesday that the public was not aware this law was looming and said he felt there was no opportunity to debate it.

Piece gets about 40 percent of its sales from alcohol, and Jacobs said he has no plans to offer happy hour specials now that they're legal.

While Jacobs said his establishment would not over-serve a customer, he is concerned about potentially higher drunken-driving rates in general as a result of patrons elsewhere drinking quickly due to the happy hour law.

"It's not a business thing, it's a moral thing," Jacobs said.

After the House and Senate voted on the matter, Jacobs voiced his opinion in social media, in The New York Times and in a piece by Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich.

Laura Blasingame, co-owner of the Map Room, a craft beer bar in Bucktown, said she "heartily agreed" with Jacobs' opposition. Beyond the required safety training in the law, she found little else to support.

Blasingame, 50, said she remembered waiting tables downtown in her 20s when happy hour was permitted. "I just remember people getting so loaded," Blasingame said. "It was ugly."

Kelly Clancy, manager of RPM Steak in River North, said the upscale restaurant won't be introducing happy hour specials. "I don't think it's a healthy environment for your staff and I don't think it's a healthy environment for the neighborhood," she said.

Rob Ibanez, manager of Simone's in Pilsen, said the law wouldn't change anything at Simone's, which offers daily specials. But he did like that happy hour would be more regulated and equally enforced under the new law.

"Some businesses were doing it anyway under the table," Ibanez said.

The state restaurant association, which represents a variety of bar and restaurant operators that include celebrity-chef destinations to neighborhood taverns, worked on the legislation for more than two years.

Jacobs, the Piece owner, is not a member of the trade group and has decried the group's campaign contributions to House Speaker Michael Madigan as being an influential factor in the bill's passage.

As it turns out, Madigan voted against the bill.

"As is the case with all bills, contributions have no impact," said Steve Brown, Madigan's spokesman. "He examined the bill, examined the proposal and voted what he thought was appropriate."

Brown credited the bill's sponsor, Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, for gathering the necessary votes for its passage but said Madigan ultimately couldn't support it.

Illinois Restaurant Association President and CEO Sam Toia denied that political contributions to Madigan pertained to the happy hour bill.

"No way it has anything to do with this bill at all," Toia said, adding that the organization supports elected officials of both parties.